Finneas teargassed in LA protests: ‘They’re inciting this’
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Finneas teargassed in LA protests: ‘They’re inciting this’
Celebrities take to social media to criticize the federal response to the protests. President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles. “Mean Girls” star Renee Rapp called the response “inhumane” and “disgraceful” “Your voice is powerful–use it with purpose,” singer Chiquis said. “This is what you call a peaceful protest,” she added. “Burning cars, throwing rocks at cops is NOT going to solve this” “This isn’t the way to go,” said singer-songwriter-producer Billie Eilish. “These are our friends, our neighbors, our families, our teachers,” she said.
Several stars have taken to social media to share information and resources, and to criticize the federal response to what they called peaceful demonstrations.
Tensions escalated Sunday after President Donald Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops on June 7, prompting backlash from public officials, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who said Trump’s actions “flamed the fires” and that Trump “illegally acted to federalize the National Guard.”
The federal response similarly prompted backlash from celebrities, who accused the administration of inciting the very violence it claimed to be addressing.
Finneas teargassed at LA protest, Chiquis warns against violent demonstrations
On June 8, Billie Eilish’s brother and collaborator, Finneas, posted on his Instagram story about the protests, cursing at ICE and sharing that he attended a protest and was immediately met with force.
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“Tear gassed almost immediately at the very peaceful protest downtown-they’re inciting this,” wrote the songwriter, an LA native.
Fashion designer Jeremy Scott also took to his Instagram story June 8 to call out Trump amid the federal government’s response to the protests, suggesting the president’s deployment of the National Guard, without city or state officials’ request, was a means to changing the narrative behind Trump’s recent feud with Elon Musk.
Scott said Trump sent the National Guard to “scare peaceful protesters and make it a (national) news story. PR 101 folks.”
Singer and LA native Chiquis posted an Instagram video June 9, urging protesters to remain peaceful. “Your voice is powerful–use it with purpose. Protest peacefully, stand for justice, but remember: violence dims the light of the message. Stay safe, stay strong, stay united,” she captioned the post. “Burning cars, throwing rocks at cops cars, vandalizing our city is NOT going to solve this.”
She followed the post on her story, sharing a video of demonstrators walking with signs earlier on Sunday, writing: “This is what you call a peaceful protest.”
Renee Rapp calls federal government’s protest response a ‘disgrace’
Singer and “Mean Girls” star Reneé Rapp took to her Instagram story to curse out ICE, the Trump administration and everyone “complicit in ensuring that this happened,” calling the federal response a “disgrace.”
And former “Catfish” host Kamie Crawford shared a lengthy pair of Instagram stories, expressing her sadness, exhaustion and shame for being less politically vocal as of late, but added, “immigrants are worth fighting for.”
“Even if you’re someone who just wants immigration reform and better checks & balances, I think we can objectively see what’s going on & agree that this is not the way. This is inhumane & it’s harm,” she wrote. “These are our friends, our neighbors, our families, our teachers, our TAXPAYERS. These are people. This isn’t right.”